From the publisher, “From the award-winning author of Flygirl comes this powerful WWII romance between two Japanese teens caught in the cogs of an unwinnable war, perfect for fans of Salt to the Sea, Lovely War, and Code Name Verity.

Japan 1945. Taro is a talented violinist and a kamikaze pilot in the days before his first and only mission. He believes he is ready to die for his country…until he meets Hana. Hana hasn’t been the same since the day she was buried alive in a collapsed trench during a bomb raid. She wonders if it would have been better to have died that day…until she meets Taro.  A song will bring them together. The war will tear them apart. Is it possible to live an entire lifetime in eight short days?”

Eloquently written, the story of two souls whose lives are directed by the war.  Who they could have been and who they became.  The author captures the culture, the history, and the waste involved in the war from a perspective we often do not glimpse.  The stories of Taro and Hana are seamlessly woven by an expert storyteller.  I am a huge fan of the author and eagerly read everything she writes.  Highly recommend.

eGalley review                                                 Publication date 2.18.20